Giant Tesla Battery Bank Built in South Australia

S. Himmelstein

24 November 2017

The world’s largest lithium-ion battery bank has now been fully installed at Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm and isEntrepreneur Elon Musk has won a US$50 million bet by beating a 100-day deadline for building a giant battery to help South Australia avoid energy blackouts. Photo: Reuters set to be energized for the first time in a matter of days, South Australia’s state government announced.

Elon Musk has won a $50 million bet by beating a 100-day deadline for building a giant battery to help South Australia avoid energy blackouts. Musk had pledged to build the battery in the South Australian outback for free if it was not completed by December 1. He estimated that would cost at least $50 million; local authorities will now pick up the tab.

The 100 MW Tesla Powerpack is connected to a wind farm operated by French energy firm Neoen and is expected to store enough power for thousands of homes during periods of excess demand that could result in blackouts. Last year, storm damage to South Australia’s electrical grid caused a cascade of failures, leading to a massive blackout that left 1.7 million residents without power for as long as two weeks.

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